Neutral wire connector



y 1954 H. 1. STANBACK NEUTRAL WIRE CONNECTOR Fi led June 12, 1962 INVENTOR. fiar'rzs 27mm United States Patent 3,133,779 NEUTRAL WIRE CONNECTOR Harris I. Stanback, Lexington, Ky., assignor to Square D Company, Park Ridge, 111., a corporation of Michigan Filed June 12, 1962, Ser. No. 201,984 7 (Ilaims. (Cl. 339242) This invention relates generally to connector means, and more particularly to an improved electrical connector for electrically connecting a plurality of electrical conductors to a common potential.

In the manufacture and sale of various models of electrical panelboards of different capacities, it has been found that those models in greatest demand require neutral wire connector bars adapted to receive wires of a predetermined maximum size, but that occasionally there is a demand for larger capacity panelboards having neutral wire connector bars adapted to receive wires larger than said predetermined maximum size. While it may be economical to use a single size of neutral wire connector bar for various models of panelboards, varying only the length of the bar, the greatest economy is obtained when the size of the bar is keyed to the models of panelboards in greatest demand, and the bar is modified to receive wires larger than said predetermined maximum size for use in the larger capacity panelboards which are in lesser demand.

Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide a neutral wire connector bar mass produced to receive wires of a predetermined maximum size and modified in a novel manner to receive a larger wire.

Other objects and advantages will appear upon consid' eration of the following description and accompanying drawings wherein:

FIGURE 1 is an exploded perspective view of a neutral wire connector bar constructed in accordance with the invention;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged view of a portion of the neutral wire connector bar of FIGURE 1 as it would appear from the front of an electrical panelboard when mounted therein and including an end portion of an electrical conductor;

FIGURE 3 is a sectional View taken along the line 3-3 of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is a sectional view taken along the line 4-4 of FIGURE 3.

The neutral wire connector bar in its unmodified form may be like that of copending application, Serial No. 168,- 733, filed on January 25, 1962, and assigned to the as signee of the present invention. Thus, an extruded metal bar preferably formed of aluminum and having a generally rectangular cross section is provided and has formed therein a plurality of wire receiving holes 12 extending completely therethrough from a first side to an opposite second side thereof and a plurality of threaded clamping screw receiving holes 14 extending partially therethrough from a tlnrd side thereof and respectively intersecting the holes 12. In FIGURE 3, a clamping screw 16 is shown clamping a relatively small conductor 17 within one of the holes 12, and a second clamping screw 16 is shown clamping a larger conductor 18 in another of the holes 12.

In accordance with my invention, means are provided for electrically connecting to the bar 10 a conductor 20 too large to be received in any of the holes 12. To this end, material defining two adjacent holes 12 and the respective holes 14 communicating therewith is removed from the bar It to provide a generally rectangular recess 22 therein opening to the first, second, and third sides thereof as shown in FIGURE 1, and the two holes 14 adjacent the recess 22 on opposite sides thereof are extended completely through the bar 10 to a fourth side thereof for respectively receiving a pair of screws 23 as shown in FIG- URE 3.

A contact filler 24- preferably formed of aluminum is preferably provided in the recess 22. The contact filler 24 includes a generally U-shaped intermediate portion 25 preferably complementarily engaging the surfaces of the bar 10 defining the recess 22 and a pair of end portions 26 extending laterally outwardly from the respective free end portions of the legs of the U-shaped portion 25. The end portions 26 are apertured to receive the screws 23.

The contact filler 24 provides good electrical contact between the conductor 20 and the bar 10. By virtue of its greater width, as shown in FIGURE 4, it has a greater contact area with the conductor 20 than the conductor 20 would have with the bar 10 if the contact filler were omitted.

A cover plate 28 preferably formed of steel and having a clamping screw 30 threadedly received in an offset central portion 29 thereof is secured to the end portions 26 of the contact filler 24 by the screws 23. The screws 23 are threaded into a reinforcing means 32 on the opposite side of the bar 10 from the cover plate 28, the reinforcing means in the embodiment shown being a metal plate having a pair of threaded holes therein for reception of the screws. Alternatively, the reinforcing means 32 could be a pair of nuts or a portion of a conventional mounting bracket or support for a neutral wire connector bar.

Unmodified bars 10 of various lengths may be used in a large number of panelboards the neutral wire connector bars of which are not required to receive wires larger than can be accommodated by the holes 12. For the smaller number of panelboards requiring a neutral wire connector bar adapted to receive a larger wire such as the conductor 20, the bar may be modified in accordance with this invention.

I claim:

1. A neutral wire connector comprising an elongated electrically conductive bar of generally rectangular cross section, a first plurality of holes generally equally spaced longitudinally along said bar and extending completely therethrough from a first side to an opposite second side thereof for respective reception of neutral wires of a predetermined maximum size, a second plurality of holes spaced longitudinally along said bar and extending partially therethrough from a third side thereof, said second plurality of holes communicating respectively with said first plurality of holes and being respectively adapted to receive wire clamping screws, a generally rectangular recess in said bar opening to said first, second, and third sides thereof, said recess having a dimension longitudinally of said bar substantially equal to a distance along said bar spanning an adjacent two holes of said first plurality, two holes of said second plurality adjacent said recess on opposite sides thereof being extended completely through said bar to a fourth side thereof, a cover plate spanning said recess, a clamping screw threadedly received in said cover plate centrally thereof and extensible into said recess, reinforcing means engaging a fourth side of said bar opposite said third side, and a pair of fastening means extending respectively through said two holes of said second plurality on opposite sides of said recess and securing said bar, cover plate, and reinforcing means together.

2. A neutral wire connector comprising an elongated electrically conductive bar of generally rectangular cross section, a first plurality of holes generally equally spaced longitudinally along said bar and extending completely therethrough from a first side to an opposite second side thereof for respective reception of neutral wires of a predetermined maximum size, a second plurality of holes spaced longitudinally along said bar and extending partially therethrough from a third side thereof, said second plurality of holes communicating respectively with said first plurality of holes and being respectively adapted to receive wire clamping screws, a generally rectangular re cess in said bar opening to said first, second, and third sides thereof, said recess having a dimension longitudinally of said bar substantially equal to a distance along said bar spanning an adjacent two holes of said first plurality, two holes of said second plurality adjacent said recess on opposite sides thereof being extended completely through said bar to a fourth side thereof, an electrically conductive contact filler having a generally U-shaped portion in said recess adapted to receive a neutral wire larger than said predetermined maximum size and a pair of end portions extending laterally outwardly from the respective free end portions of t e legs of said U-shaped portion and engaging said third side of said bar in overlapping relationship with said two holes of said second plurality on opposite sides of said recess, a cover plate having end portions engaging said end portions of said contact filler on the opposite side thereof from said bar, a clamping screw threadedly received in said cover plate centrally thereof in alignment with said U-shaped portion of said contact filler, a reinforcing means engaging a fourth side of said bar opposite said third side in overlapping relationship with said two holes of said second plurality on opposite sides of said recess, and a pair of fastening means extending respectively through said two holes of said second plurality on opposite sides of said recess and securing said bar, contact filler, cover plate, and reinforcing means together.

3. A neutral wire connector as claimed in claim 2, wherein said bar is of solid cross section between said longitudinally spaced holes.

4. A neutral Wire connector as claimed in claim 2, wherein said bar and contact filler are formed of aluminum.

5. A neutral wire connector as claimed in claim 2, wherein said Ushaped portion of said contact filler substantially complementarily engages the surfaces of said bar defining said recess.

6. A neutral wire connector as claimed in claim 2, wherein said contact filler is wider than said bar to effect a greater contact area with said larger neutral wire.

7. A neutral wire connector as claimed in claim 2, wherein said fastening means are screws threadedly received in said reinforcing means.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 480,810 Downie Aug. 16, 1892 557,518 Pfiuger Mar. 31, 1896 807,497 Reeve Dec. 19, 1905 1,679,677 Milne Aug. 7, 1928 1,943,660 Edwards Jan. 16, 1934 2,748,365 Speck May 29, 1956 2,795,770 Toedtman June 11, 1957 2,905,923 Hammerly Sept. 22, 1959 2,943,294 Norden June 28, 1960 2,984,818 Logan May 16, 1961 3,001,172 Cornell Sept. 19, 1961 

1. A NEUTRAL WIRE CONNECTOR COMPRISING AN ELONGATED ELECTRICALLY CONDUCTIVE BAR OF GENERALLY RECTANGULAR CROSS SECTION, A FIRST PLURALITY OF HOLES GENERALLY EQUALLY SPACED LONGITUDINALLY ALONG SAID BAR AND EXTENDING COMPLETELY THERETHROUGH FROM A FIRST SIDE TO AN OPPOSITE SECOND SIDE THEREOF FOR RESPECTIVE RECEPTION OF NEUTRAL WIRES OF A PREDETERMINED MAXIMUM SIZE, A SECOND PLURALITY OF HOLES SPACED LONGITUDINALLY ALONG SAID BAR AND EXTENDING PARTIALLY THERETHROUGH FROM A THIRD SIDE THEREOF, SAID SECOND PLURALITY OF HOLES COMMUNICATING RESPECTIVELY WITH SAID FIRST PLURALITY OF HOLES AND BEING RESPECTIVELY ADAPTED TO RECEIVE WIRE CLAMPING SCREWS, A GENERALLY RECTANGULAR RECESS IN SAID BAR OPENING TO SAID FIRST, SECOND, AND THIRD SIDES THEREOF, SAID RECESS HAVING A DIMENSION LONGITUDINALLY OF SAID BAR SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL TO A DISTANCE ALONG SAID BAR SPANNING AN ADJACENT TWO HOLES OF SAID FIRST PLURALITY, TWO HOLES OF SAID SECOND PLURALITY ADJACENT SAID RECESS ON OPPOSITE SIDES THEREOF BEING EXTENDED COMPLETELY THROUGH SAID BAR TO A FOURTH SIDE THEREOF, A COVER PLATE SPANNING SAID RECESS, A CLAMPING SCREW THREADEDLY RECEIVED IN SAID COVER PLATE CENTRALLY THEREOF AND EXTENSIBLE INTO SAID RECESS, REINFORCING MEANS ENGAGING A FOURTH SIDE OF SAID BAR OPPOSITE SAID THIRD SIDE, AND A PAIR OF FASTENING MEANS EXTENDING RESPECTIVELY THROUGH SAID TWO HOLES OF SAID SECOND PLURALITY ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF SAID RECESS AND SECURING SAID BAR, COVER PLATE, AND REINFORCING MEANS TOGETHER. 